How to Stain Furniture with Ana White

In Ana White's world, every piece of furniture is a DIY project waiting to happen. "Staining allows beautiful wood grains to show through, and it hides wear and tear better than regular paint," she says. The Alaska-based blogger walks us through a range of cool techniques, proving that it's possible to give anything fine finish.

After: Whitewash

After: Whitewash

To give the crate an aged look in no time flat, White covered it with a walnut stain. Once it dried, she used rags to rub a simple whitewash onto the crate, wiping off excess as she worked. (White suggests using Minwax White Pickling Wash.) If she wanted to lighten the color, she'd add water. "I love how the wash added a subtle graying to the wood stain," she says.